An introduction to Poti

I would like to first mention that there are fireworks being shot off in the rain tonight. I have no idea why, but it certain makes you wonder about cultural differences, doesn't it?

Poti is an odd city. It lacks much of the juxtaposition that Tbilisi had. There is construction going on in a few areas. However, most of the city looks like the stereotype of a post-soviet city. There are buildings in ruins everywhere. Stray dogs run rampant. There are cows just hanging out on the street corners next to the chickens. Through all of this you begin to see the certain charm that such a city holds. You can easily walk down to the Black sea from my house. There is a long trail that runs along the port where you can find people biking or walking. Every house has fruit trees and grapes growing in their yards. The architecture is very unique. The city is begining to grow. Businesses are moving in. This means the standard of living is much greater here than in the villages.

A picture of my house in Poti

I'm very lucky to have the host family that I do. The mayor, Gucha,  is very busy but kind. His wife, Nino, is amazing and a cardiologist. They both know a fair amount of English and are eager to practice. I haven't picked up too much Georgian because they both want to become comfortable with English. Nino said she'd help me learn though. They have been very generous. My room is well furnished. I even get my own bathroom! They have two sons who are studying in Tbilisi at the University there. Some of the anticipated issues that were mentioned in training like lack of privacy or lack of luxuries have not been an issue for me. 

 

School has been interesting. I work with four different teachers and have 25 lessons every week. One of the teachers has been working for 40 years. You can tell by her yelling at students and the books she prefers to work with. It's this old book that just has a few boring texts to read and nothing conversation related. Thankfully, she can only use it with the sixth graders. I'm hoping to add a lot of games to that class. So many of students look like they are falling asleep in class. Ironically, this is the same teacher who was trying to correct my own pronunciation of words while I was reading today.  No it wasn't a "q" sound, it was the word mountain. I'm pretty sure I say that one correctly. lol We get a long fine otherwise, though. The students are eager but noisy in class. I could write a lot more about school, but I'll leave that for another day. 

I really want to make a small mention about driving in Georgia. IT'S TERRIFYING! To get to Poti, some men from the resource center picked me and the other Poti volunteer up in Tbilisi. We drove on only one road through the mountains. It was like being on a roller coaster. Imagine a two lane road winding through the mountains. Then add cars and trucks going over 140 km/hour. Cars pass each other all the time, including around corners and up hills. The only notice they give is the occasional honk. The cars are also driving three a breast for one lane. Oh, and add the occasional cow in the middle of the road. You have to be very brave to drive here and I give a lot of props to the man who got us here safely. Craziest part of living in Georgia so far!

Spontaneous Interview with Georgian Police

Tonight was incredibly surprising. Our last meeting of the evening was mainly about our placements. We were being told what city we would be living in for at least the next six months. Before the announcement the director (who reports directly to the minister of Education) spoke about the program. She then asked that four of us, including me, follow her.
We all follow her out into the freezing cold hallway trying to think of a reason for us being called out. Did we break some rule? We weren't the ones going out every night, so what could we have done wrong? Were we being sent home? Needless to say it was a nerve racking fifty feet.
Our destination was the TLG office in the hotel. There a man, that we had seen earlier observing our Georgian Lessons, was waiting. It turns out that the Police Academy has a couple TLG volunteers for Tbilisi and hoped to add two female teachers to their group. There would be no host family, rather you would live together in an apartment paid for by the academy. You would be teaching adults and not really be working with a co-teacher. Essentially, it was a huge twist on the program we thought we signed up for. He wanted to interview the four of us. One of the fellow volunteers declined because she had really wanted to be with a host family. It just left the three of us.
I volunteered to go first. I knew coming into this program that I would have to be flexible to whatever changes were brought my way. This was definitely a big change! It really wasn't what I had hoped for. I wanted experience in a classroom and an opportunity to learn Georgian in a host family. However, I was willing to take the risk and see what happened. He just asked about my work experience. I forgot to mention volunteer work which was silly of me since it includes most of my teaching experience.
Once I was finished (a whole three minutes later), I waited in the hall outside for the other two girls to go. We chatted and nervously wondered about this change in fate. He told us after the third individual that I was the one not selected. Frankly, I was a bit relieved. I didn't think I would be able to offer my best in the capitol city to a bunch of adult Georgians. I have no experience teaching adults.
I walked back to the meeting room with the director while she called to find out my placement. She told me that I would be in Poti, the second largest port city on the Black Sea, living with the mayor! It sounded fantastic to me. I leave tomorrow to head out to my host family and new home. I can't help but wonder if my host family will like me. I wonder if I can really handle this complicated Georgian language. I wonder if my smiley personality is going to cause problems. I guess we'll find out in less than 24 hours.
Wish me luck!

A Typical Training Day

 Here is a glimpse at a training day for Teach and Learn with Georgia volunteers. They know how to keep us busy and well fed. It's pretty intense but enjoyable all the same.

7:00AM
Wake up in our luxurious hotel room and get ready for the day. It has been quite surprising that the sun doesn't begin to move over the mountains until after 8AM.  I'm so used to having more light in the morning, even in the winter in order for the day to get started.
8:00
Breakfast is eaten in buffet style in the dining room. Everyone sits together around large tables while trying Georgian food. The staples that you will see at every meal of course are freshly sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, bread, a selection of cold cuts, a plate of different cheeses, and an odd selection of juices that no one is really sure what they are made from. The staples are delicious but the unique dishes (like noodles and hot dogs) are also normally very good. They even serve us cocoa puffs. I suppose it provides a decent transition for those of us still stuck on our processed foods.
9:00
The morning meeting is a great deal like any morning meeting. Some people care, others chat with their neighbors, and half of the group is sits there pretending to be awake. The jet lag is still plaguing many. It does have one benefit. If you ever get bored, you can just take a look around and laugh at the ridiculous zombie faces they all wear while waking up.
10:00
Georgian Class! This is by far my favorite part of the day. A teacher works with a small group of twenty of us. Marica is a brilliant and patient teacher who has done work with peace corp and the European equivalent of the peace corp.  We have a small coffee break at 11:30 and then work more. There are lots of activities which are helpful when you are trying to learn new sounds. Georgian has a "kh" and a "gh" sound that remind you of a cat throwing up. Of course the r's are rolled and there are multiple k, t, p, and b sounds. Writing the Georgian language is a bit difficult, but it redeems itself by being so helpful. Every letter you see you say and everything you say you write. There aren't any crazy silent letters like in English!
2:30PM
Lunch includes the staples mentioned earlier and  soups and mystery meats. They also like to chop up different veggies and combine them. It's nice to give your mind a rest and just relax with friends.
3:00
This is our time for intercultural training. There are mixed opinions about these classes. The first day was a long introduction into the goals of the class and such. I think it could have been shortened in time and allowed for us to start answering our questions about Georgian manners and daily life. I'm glad we reviewed the issues and importance of stereotypes. But really, I'm a bit more concerned at the moment about how to establish a personal bubble with my host family. Today was much more informative. Luckily, it's never just lecturing. Our teachers do case studies and ice breakers with us. We again have a coffee break (so much coffee! They give us these delightful little pastries, too. They offer tea but only Earl Gray and Green Tea. I miss my peppermint) in the middle.
7:15
Dinner was the first place I got to try the infamous Khachpuri. It's circular bread with cheese baked in it. Every region and family have their own recipe. The hotel's is good but very salty. Some people say it's like cheese bread you might order with pizza in the states. I don't think so. It's flat and just blends better. It's like the bread is made from a dough of solely cheese. Of course, you have plenty of other food and time to get to know fellow volunteers during this time.
8:00
We finish the day off with a meeting. We go over questions and sign our contracts. Later in the week we will be taking to current Teach and Learn with Georgia volunteers. There is free time in the evening. Many of us have walked around Tbilisi or chatted over the wine we got in our welcome bags. Sleep is a big priority after these long days. I might want to socialize more. However, being able to focus on my classes the next day is more important.

Seeing the Future as I Fly through Time Zones

I left from Chicago on Friday at 9PM for Georgia. Luckily, I met up with some other Greenheart travelers at the gate. We chatted about where we were from and what was bringing us to Georgia. Then we all boarded the largest airplane I have ever seen for a ten hour flight. I have to say Turkish Airlines treated us very well. We got two full meals and had personal TVs at our seat with new movies, tv shows, music, and games. They even gave us little kits with slipper socks, eye masks, and a toothbrush. Perhaps you get all these convinces when flying internationally no matter which airline you use, but since it was my first international flight, I felt spoiled. We then landed in Istanbul, Turkey, for a seven hour wait. Some people bought a visa and went out into the city to explore. I stayed in the airport (it was full of perfume!). I didn't want to get lost and miss my flight. Our last flight was only two hours long and also included a meal.

Landing in Georgia finally was extremely exciting. You could see all the city lights as we came in, and I got a slight idea for the size of  Tbilsi (their capital).  When we left the plane all we had to do was stand in line for the visa and get our passports stamped. I only had to tell them that I was with Teach & Learn and they took care of it all. I got my luggage downstairs and went out the doors to a waiting area. A couple very nice Georgians were waiting with a sign. They pointed out where we could exchange money and we gathered as a group to wait for everyone. Even though it was 3:30AM and I hadn't really slept on the planes, I was wide awake. The airport looked like any other airport, but I knew that right outside was a whole new country. A place that I'd never seen. No one I know has seen it either.

I got my first real look at the city on the bus that took us to our hotel. Many of the buildings we passed were run down. However, there were plenty of trees along the road side and some decent green space here and there. All the signs are written in Georgian. There were a couple that had English as well close to the airport. When roads are built on bridges above each other there are neon pink and blue lights on the sides of the bridge. Gas was terribly cheap. The two stations that we passed were all priced under 2 lari (at least I think I read the sign correctly?) which is less than a dollar.My hotel room's window has a view of the city and the mountains behind it. I'll see if I can't get a decent picture of it sometime this week.

Hopefully, I will get to see more soon. Today was just spent sleeping at the hotel. We have a welcome meeting and dinner soon. I'm sure we'll get a schedule for the next week of training and such tonight. I can't wait to get started on it all.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

It has been a surprisingly typical Winter Break.

Time spent with family included visiting my sister in Madison. Not really enough time to catch up, but at least a quick look at her new place. My brother and sister-in-law are back in town. They came and spent Christmas Eve with my parents and I. We had our typical dinner of a Christmas goose on the good china. We ate cookies and chatted around the wood stove. It was nice and calm and just what I wanted. I'm blessed to have the family that I do. They put up with me being a bit crazy and busy all the time. Even when I'm up till 2AM, Mom and Dad don't give me too much hassle for keeping them up. Living in an old farm house makes it difficult to get to bed without waking up those in the room next door.

I can home to a rush of get-togethers with friends and odd drama I didn't know had happened. It seems to happen every year but I never expect it. I want to just reconnect with friends and enjoy the few days we have together. I've lost touch with more people than I'd really have liked to. Talking face-to-face is corrupted by the  unexpected undercurrents of tension and awkwardness. So many of us have changed directions or still trying to find a direction. I anticipated more of us staying on course with our plans made senior year. I know that really isn't the norm. However, we all seemed to have had solid plans and aspirations. Life just through too many road bumps into those plans. I'm sure in ten years, those life changing road bumps will be viewed as blessings. However, right now they just seem to be difficult.

It feels even weirder to not be buying books or making plans to get back to Omaha for classes. I'll miss my Amtrak trip filled with esoteric people. Instead, I'll be taking my first international flight to Georgia. My luggage sits in my room, mostly packed. My browser history is filled with websites on international travel, volunteer blogs, and language tips. I'm getting ready, but I don't feel like I'm really leaving in a few short days (speaking of which, we still don't have our tickets! That part is a bit nerve racking). Instead, I sit at home working on my parents website and baking my favorite recipes. I made chocolate chip cookies today. My Dad didn't think I'd get a chance to make them in Georgia. But the thought still isn't really hitting me.It's just too average of a week. I bake every time I come home from school. Does the fact I'm leaving for another country change my state of mind? Not much, sadly. I'm still exciting to be going, but it feels like the adventure is a far off dream not a close reality.